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Structured addresses in SEPA files: what applies now

Last updated: 27 October 2026

Originally, banks were to reject credit transfers and direct debits with a fully unstructured address from 15 November 2026. That date has been postponed: the European Payments Council (EPC), which sets the SEPA rules, withdrew it on 9 September 2026. A new date has not been set yet.

At a glance

  • Unstructured, hybrid and structured addresses all remain allowed until further notice.
  • After the new deadline only structured and hybrid addresses will be allowed. The EPC recommends switching straight to the structured form.
  • Within the EEA a SEPA direct debit or credit transfer does not need an address. It is mandatory if a bank in a SEPA country outside the EEA is involved, for example in Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
  • Some banks, for example in Germany, have also postponed their planned phase-out of older file versions. More on the page SEPA versions.

Three forms of an address

An address can appear in a SEPA file in three ways. What matters is whether town and country have their own fields.

Unstructured, hybrid and structured addresses
FormHow it appears in the fileAfter the new deadline
UnstructuredThe address is in free-text lines (AdrLine), without a separate field for the townno longer allowed
HybridTown (TwnNm) and country (Ctry) in their own fields, the rest in up to two free-text lines of 70 characters eachallowed; ask your bank whether it accepts hybrid addresses
StructuredStreet, building number, postcode, town and country each in their own fieldallowed and recommended
A structured address: each part has its own field in the SEPA file.

This is how the same address looks in the three forms in the XML code:

Unstructured

<PstlAdr>
  <Ctry>DE</Ctry>
  <AdrLine>Lindenallee 12a</AdrLine>
  <AdrLine>10115 Berlin</AdrLine>
</PstlAdr>

Hybrid

<PstlAdr>
  <PstCd>10115</PstCd>
  <TwnNm>Berlin</TwnNm>
  <Ctry>DE</Ctry>
  <AdrLine>Lindenallee 12a</AdrLine>
</PstlAdr>

Structured

<PstlAdr>
  <StrtNm>Lindenallee</StrtNm>
  <BldgNb>12a</BldgNb>
  <PstCd>10115</PstCd>
  <TwnNm>Berlin</TwnNm>
  <Ctry>DE</Ctry>
</PstlAdr>

If only the country has its own field and the town is in a free-text line, the address still counts as unstructured.

What has been decided

  1. 27 August 2026Swift postpones the payment changes of its Standards Release 2026, including the structured address requirement for international payments. Swift intends to give an update on its approach by December 2026 at the latest.
  2. 9 September 2026The EPC withdraws the 15 November 2026 deadline for unstructured addresses, for all SEPA schemes.
  3. 30 September 2026The EPC publishes its revised guidance on addresses (version 2.2). It does not give an end date for unstructured addresses.
  4. Still openThe new deadline. The EPC will set it based on market developments. It had announced that it would set a new date in October 2026; by 27 October 2026 none had been published.

When is an address mandatory?

Within the EEA, that is the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, a SEPA direct debit or credit transfer does not need an address. It is mandatory if the payer's or the payee's bank is in a SEPA country outside the EEA, for example Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Monaco. Then the payer's address must be in the file: for credit transfers your own, for direct debits that of your customer or member. The address of the payee or creditor is optional.

Some banks have announced their own dates for structured addresses for payments to certain countries, such as Switzerland. Check your bank's requirements.

What you can do now

  • Record at least the town and country for every member and customer in separate fields, preferably the full address.
  • Ask the supplier of your software when it will write structured addresses into the SEPA file.
  • Check your file for free: you see which addresses are in free-text lines and where an address is mandatory.
  • Have the addresses converted. By default the repair leaves out addresses in payments within the EEA, because they are not required there. Mandatory addresses, and on request all addresses, are split into street, building number, postcode and town and checked against public registers: the OpenPLZ API for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the Base Adresse Nationale for France, the BAG for the Netherlands and postcodes.io for the United Kingdom. We only add what is unambiguous; if in doubt we add nothing and flag the address in the change report.

Frequently asked questions

Do structured addresses become mandatory on 15 November 2026?

No. The European Payments Council withdrew that date on 9 September 2026. Unstructured addresses remain allowed until a new date is set.

When will structured addresses become mandatory?

That has not been decided yet. The EPC will set the new date based on market developments; Swift intends to give an update on its approach by December 2026 at the latest. We will update this page as soon as the date is known.

Does the postponement apply to credit transfers and direct debits?

Yes. It applies to all SEPA schemes: credit transfer, instant credit transfer, Core direct debit and B2B direct debit.

Does a direct debit need an address at all?

Only if the creditor's bank or the payer's bank is in a SEPA country outside the EEA, such as Switzerland or the United Kingdom. Then the payer's address must be in the file; your own address as creditor is optional. Within the EEA no address is required.

What is a hybrid address?

Town and country are in their own fields, the rest of the address in up to two free-text lines of 70 characters each. Details in the separate fields must not be repeated in the free-text lines. Ask your bank whether it accepts hybrid addresses.

My file is already being rejected. Is that because of the address?

Usually not, because the new rule does not apply to most payments yet. Common causes are an outdated file version, missing or incorrect mandate data, a collection date in the past, an invalid IBAN or characters that are not allowed. The free check shows the cause.

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